287. Your War Has Arrived!

After making his decision, the Third Raikage immediately led hundreds of Cloud ninjas to the border at a rapid pace.

They finally arrived at an abandoned village near the border on the evening of the second day.

"Everyone, rest up quickly. Tonight, we'll cross this mountain and soon join up with the main force," the Third Raikage said, sitting on a broken tree stump, tearing into a roasted wild boar leg with his only remaining arm.

Yes, an entire crispy roasted wild boar leg. As the legendary "Strongest Shield" and "Strongest Spear," the Third Raikage's body required an astonishing amount of calories daily.

Thus, his appetite was equally enormous. He often needed to eat an entire roasted boar to feel full.

"Lord Raikage, why are we retreating in such a hurry? Hasn't Konoha already been destroyed? Even if they want to send troops, it would take at least ten days, right?" one of the Cloud ninjas asked while eating.

Out of respect for the Third Raikage, even though he had stepped down from his position, his subordinates still referred to him as "Raikage."

Hearing their question, the Third Raikage casually tossed the bone in his hand to the ground, wiped his mouth, and replied, "Don't underestimate that 'Darkness of the Shinobi.' Now that he's awakened, it's highly likely he'll launch a war against us immediately. I don't care much, but I'm worried you lot might end up as fertilizer in the Land of Fire!"

Hearing this, the Cloud ninjas immediately protested.

"Lord Raikage, what are you saying? As long as you keep that 'Darkness of the Shinobi' occupied, the other Konoha ninjas are nothing more than vegetables to us!"

"Yeah, exactly!" This response reflected the current mindset of the Cloud ninjas.

While they had no confidence in dealing with that damned "Darkness of the Shinobi," they had the Raikage with them.

As long as the Raikage kept Danzo occupied, the other Konoha ninjas were nothing to worry about.

The Third Raikage didn't say much about their mindset.

After all, the Cloud Village had been undefeated for years, with their only loss being to Danzo.

It was natural for them to think this way. However, this time, things were different.

After his last battle with Danzo, the Third Raikage had spent nearly a year training relentlessly.

He often engaged in intense sparring matches with the Eight-Tails, and now his strength had not only returned to its peak but had even surpassed it.

If he faced Danzo again, it was anyone's guess who would come out on top.

With this in mind, the Third Raikage wiped his greasy hand on the tree stump and stood up, saying, "Alright, enough chit-chat. Hurry up! If we keep talking, the Konoha ninjas will catch up to us."

His words elicited laughter from the Cloud ninjas.

"Lord Raikage, you're so funny."

"Who knows if Konoha will even send troops? How could they catch up to us so quickly?"

"Unless they can fly!!"

As soon as this Cloud ninja finished speaking, the entire area suddenly darkened.

A sense of foreboding surged in the Third Raikage's heart.

Everyone looked up to see a giant bird flying over the camp, completely blocking the bright moon in the sky. Its massive shadow covered nearly half the village like a black curtain.

"This is..."

"Danzo's Paper Jutsu!"

The Third Raikage suddenly realized something, his face turning grim.

He was about to shout a warning when the giant bird in the sky instantly disintegrated into countless pieces of paper.

Like a torrential downpour, the papers rained down from above, accompanied by the hissing sound of burning.

"It's explosive tags!"

"Take cover!!"

The Third Raikage's roar echoed through the village. Although everyone present was an elite ninja and reacted instantly upon hearing the warning, the attack was too sudden and covered too wide an area.

As the explosive tags began to detonate like a rainstorm, many Cloud ninjas were still caught in the blast.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

The flames from the exploding tags merged together, compressing into a massive mushroom cloud that rose into the sky.


The flames consumed countless lives, and the battlefield echoed with agonized screams.

Seeing this, the Third Raikage's expression darkened to the extreme.

Through gritted teeth, he spat out seven words: "Damn you, Shimura Danzo!!"

Amidst the gazes of the surrounding Cloud ninjas, Danzo's figure slowly emerged from the sea of fire.

This time, Danzo's right eye was no longer bandaged. Instead, he openly displayed his deep, mysterious Mangekyō Sharingan.

He wore a loose combat robe, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The long katana hung diagonally to the ground, and the airflow behind him carried flames that flew past his sides, making him look like...

A red ghost dancing in the night.

"It's been a while, A," Danzo said, his eyes glowing with a mysterious crimson light in the darkness.

Seeing this, the Third Raikage immediately activated his Lightning Release Armor Technique.

His bronze skin was instantly covered in surging Lightning Release chakra, forming a thick layer of armor. Not only did it stimulate his cells, increasing his speed, but it also provided immense defense.

More importantly, the rapid flow of chakra allowed the Third Raikage to prevent himself from falling under genjutsu if he accidentally made eye contact with Danzo's Mangekyō Sharingan.

After ensuring his safety, the Third Raikage cast a disdainful look at Danzo. "As expected, you still prefer these underhanded tactics!!" His tone was filled with contempt.

In his view, a real man should fight with fists and muscle.

What kind of skill was it to rely on ambushes?

As for why his Cloud ninjas had fallen for the trap, it was mainly because he hadn't expected Danzo to arrive so quickly... and to pinpoint their location so accurately.

Truly worthy of being called the "Heavenly Eye."

Facing the Third Raikage's scornful gaze, Danzo showed no emotion, nor did he refute the accusation.

He simply stood quietly on the ruins, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Cloud ninjas, including A, the Third Raikage. His arrogant demeanor was a blatant insult to the proud Cloud ninjas.

Having just recovered from the explosion, the Cloud ninjas looked at Danzo, who seemed to look down on them, and at their fallen comrades around them.

A fierce rage began to burn in their hearts!!

Under their murderous gazes, Danzo smiled faintly.

He slowly drew the katana from his waist and declared in a clear voice, "You've been longing for war, haven't you?"

"Now..."

"Your war has arrived!"